Door lock illuminator



NOV. 12, wlLLEY ET AL DOOR LOCK ILLUMINATOR Filed Oct. 28, 1955 2,813,195 noon LOCK ILLUMINATOR Ralph Malcolm Willey and Meroe Willey, Castro Valley, Calif.

Application October 28, 1955, Serial No. 543,314 r 2 Claims. (Cl. 240-213) This invention relates to improvements inmeans for illuminating the knob and lock of a door, and specifically an illuminator which is controlled by a screen or weather door, which when opened will illuminate the lock area of the main door, and will terminate the illumination when the screen or weather door is closed.

This invention is mounted on the inside of the door frame at the upper end and opposite from the door lock and directs a beam of light at an angle of about 45 degrees to fully illuminate the knob and lock, and is operated by small dry cells, requiring no wiring from the electric circuit and can therefore be used where no electric power is available. It is controlled by a conventional screen or Weather door, the light being turned on only when the screen or weather door is open, the circuit being broken when the screen or Weather door closes, thus no manual control is required.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide illuminating means for a door lock, which illuminating means is self-contained including its own source of electrical energy and therefore requiring no external wiring.

Second, to provide illuminating means as outlined which is operated and controlled by a conventional screen or weather door for illuminating the knob and lock on the main door when the screen or weather door is opened, and terminating the illumination when the screen or weather door closes.

Third, to provide illuminating means as outlined which is mounted in a non-obstructional location with the light beam directed angularly downward to the knob and lock.

Fourth, to provide illuminating means as outlined with a normally closed switch operated through spring means for closing to compensate for variations in spacing between the screen or weather door and the switch, and to open the switch when the screen or weather door approaches the closed position to make certain of breaking the circuit if the screen or weather door is ajar,

Fifth, to provide illuminating means as outlined with a base to be attached to the frame of a door and with a cover which snaps onto the base, requiring no tools for replacement of batteries, and in which the batteries snap into place to automatically complete the circuit to the switch, and with the lamp mounted in the cover and directly accessible for replacement without removing the cover from the base.

Sixth, to provide a door knob and lock illuminator which is of the simplest possible construction, economical to manufacture, and simple to install.

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the invention mounted on the inside at the upper end of a door frame opposite the door knob and lock and with the spring control means for the switch mounted on the screen door.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the invention.

2,813,195 Patented Nev. 12, 1957 Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation showing the midi plete circuit and equipment.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation with the cover removed.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the housing showing the battery retainers.

The invention includes a base 10 on which are mounted spring clips 11 for retaining the batteries 12 in position,

and also includes a double contact member 13 which is insulated from the base by the insulation 14 and has one contact 15 for one end of the battery 12, and another contact 16 for the lamp 17 which lamp has its own builtin reflector in the annular enlargement 18 and which directs a beam 19 of light axially of the bulb 17.

A normally closed switch 20 is mounted on the base and has one terminal connected to the other end of the battery through a resilient contact 21 which is insulated from the base as indicated at 22, the other terminal of the switch being connected to the base as indicated at 23. The base is flanged up at both ends as indicated at 24 and 25, and a bead is formed outwardly on each flange as indicated at 26 and 27, and the sides are also flanged as indicated at 28 and 29 to provide locating means for the cover, and screw holes are provided in the base for screws 30 and 31 for securing the base to the frame as shown at 32.

The cover 33 engages over the flanges on the base and has indents or holes 34 at the respective ends to engage the beads for releasably securing the cover, the lower end of the cover being formed at an angle of about 45 degrees to the top 35 as indicated at 36, and this diagonal bottom portion is provided with a miniature lamp socket 37 for the miniature reflector type lamp 17, and the switch oper ating button 38 projects through an opening in the side of the cover. The lamp socket is grounded to the cover.

To eliminate the necessity for accurately locating the illuminating unit, suitable resilient means such as the spring finger 39 is mounted on the screen door as indicated at 40, in a position to cooperate with the switch control element 38. This spring finger also compensates for variations in the degree of closing of the outer door which may be a screen door, weather door or storm door, opening the switch and retaining the circuit broken even if the outer door is moderately ajar, thus accomplishing two purposes.

The illuminating unit is mounted on the inside of the door frame 41 and near the top as indicated .at 32, and on the side opposite the knob 42 and lock 43, placing the lamp 17 at an angle of about 45 degrees to the knob and lock for perfect illumination, facilitating the selection of the correct key and location of the keyhole.

The cover is easily removed by merely pulling outward on either end of the cover and carries the lamp with it. The lamp is removed directly from the cover for replacement, not requiring the removal of the cover. The batteries are replaced by removing the cover, pulling out the old batteries and inserting the new, completing the circuit to the switch when the cover is replaced, and the unit is mounted in a position where it does not form an obstruction.

When the outer door 44 is open the control member 38 is free and the switch is closed, completing the circuit and energizing the lamp. When the outer door is closed or only partly ajar, the spring 39 depresses the control member 38, opening the switch and extinguishing the lamp. Opening the main door 45 does not affect the switch.

We claim:

1. Door lock illuminating means comprising, a main door frame, a main door having one side hinged to one side of said main door frame, and a lock mounted adjacent theother side of said main door intermediate the height thereof, an illuminating unit including a housing therefor and having a side wall and mounted on the inside of said one side :of said main door frame adjacent the upper end thereof, a lamp set at a downward inclination of approximately '45 degrees to said one side of the frame to cast a beam of light diagonally downward to the door lock, a circuitfor said lampincluding a-source of current and a normally closed switch having a spring urged switch butr ton projecting through a passage in said one side wall, a weather door having a door frame having side, members with one side member thereofhingedto said one-side of said main door frame and cooperative with said switch 'buttonrto depress the button to open the switch to break "the circuit when the weather door is closed, said button being released to release the switch to close to complete the circuit to said lamp when the weather door is opened,tsai'd housing having a cover anda base, said cover having a top, abatte'ry in said housing providingsaid source of current, and said switch being "mounted on said base, a resilient contact cooperative between one terminal of said battery and one terminal of said lamp, the other terminal of said lamp being connected to said cover and the other terminal of said'battery connected to said switch and another terminal of said switch connected to said base, said cover being releasably securable to said base and breaking the circuit when removed, and having the lower end of the top formed towardthe lower end of the base at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the lamp mounted substantially centrally of the diagonally formed lower end for directing thebea'm of light diagonally downward to the lock.

2. An illuminating unit for a door lock located intermediate the height of a main door comprising, a door frame having an inside panel on the hinge side of the frame, a weather door having a sidemember hinged to the hinge side'of said frame, a base mounted at the upper, end of said inside panel and having an upturned flange at each end and a bead formed outwardly in each flange, a cover having a side wall, a lower end wall and an upperend wall "and a" recess formed in each end'wall' to cooperate with the beads on said flanges for releasably securing said cover on said base, a lamp mounted in said lower end wall and disposed at an angle of approximately degrees to the plane of the base to cast a beam of light diagonally downward to the door lock, said lamp having terminals with one terminal grounded to said cover, a normally closed switch having terminals and mounted on said base and having a spring urged control button projecting through a passage provided in said side wall in cooperative relation to said side member, a battery having terminals and-mounted on said base with one terminal havingconnection with said switch and the other terminal of said switch being grounded to said base, adual resilient contact insulated from and mounted on said base and making connection between the other'terminal of said battery and the other terminal of said lamp, said cover completing the circuit to said lamp when the cover is secured to said base and said weather dooris open through release of said-control button, and breaking circuit when the weather door is closed through depression of said control button by said side. member, or through removal of the cover fromthe base.

' References-Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,828,204 Schmid Oct. 20, 1931 1,961,865 Remington June 5, 1934 2,122,293 Plesant et al June 28, 1938 2,144,745 'Soreng Jan. 24, 1939 2,156,462 Schulte May 2, 1939 2,385,639 Packer et'al Sept. 25, 1945 2,480,223 Costanzo Aug. 30, 1949 2,734,123 Gerber Feb. 7, 1956 

